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While taking photos of the most recent Larisa Cooks recipes for the next inMagazine coming out in a few short weeks, I noticed these super cute Scrabble tiles. They were pre-spelled words displayed on a dresser in her home. Her friend Greta had made them for her. I snapped a few photos of the great craft idea! Along with the words “family” and “winter,” she also had one with her last name.

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I was definitely inspired and hopefully plan to use scrabble tiles to make my own craft with the idea in the near future.

I made this cake for a co-workers birthday. She is not a cake person but loves fruit. I actually made this at work and served it 10 minutes later. It was fun to see people reaction when you cut into what looks like a layer cake and it’s actually a piece of watermelon.

inStyle with Abby: Spring Fashion PredictionsSo I’ve never done this but I think it will be fun. I want to give you my fashion trend predictions for the Spring and Summer of 2015. Note: My predictions are solely based off Pinterest…because that’s how I roll.

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1. Woodstock wear…and to that I say YES! It seems like the 70’s comes back to style again every other year and I love it. It never really goes away. Think flowy dresses, headbands, long hair, sandals, moccasins, and all things love & peace. Which leads me to the next item…

2. Fringe is back and going strong! Yay!

3. All things denim. Might as well wear a Canadian tuxedo this spring (why yes, that was a Super Troopers reference).

4. Take a chance on yellow for accessories, shoes, skinny jeans, and tops this spring and summer. Don’t over do it and look like big bird, but a pop of color is totally refreshing.

5. I’m telling you – I’m seeing it everywhere on Pinterest. I have it on my thrifting wish list. I think black & white gingham would be easy to pair with everything.

6. I’m seeing awesome floral dresses, scarves, leggings. Tip: If you are petite don’t spring for large patterns, they look overwhelming on you – keep it petite. If you are not, go ahead and indulge in large, medium and small floral patterns.

7. Old. School. Sneakers.

8. “Natural Hair” You know, the style that has you sitting in the salon chair for an hour to achieve the perfect grown out look … I swear us women are crazy. There seems to be no signs that ombre is going anywhere anytime soon.

Here’s another quick and easy meal that tastes great. My kids are not peppers or onion eaters but with the spaghetti sauce, I was able to sneak a few in their buns and they had no clue!Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions in Spaghetti SaucePREP TIME: 5 minutes COOK TIME: 30 minutes SERVES: 4Continue reading →

My New inTown by Ori inMagazine blog has moved to its very own Areavoices blog! I will still be contributing to inMagazine and managing the site and social media aspects of the operation. If you’d like to continue following me, make sure to click here and favorite my newest adventure: A Working Title II.

For February, I wanted to make a new centerpiece for my coffee table at home. This project gave me a lot of variety.

Starting with just a mason jar, ribbon and the twine material – I was able to hot glue the twine the jar and wrap the ribbon around it. Very basic, but the fun begins with what you can put inside the jar.

Currently, its filled with Hershey’s kisses…but I also have some ideas of sticking a candle inside.

Not much to say about this recipe except….It was amazing!! I tossed all the ingredients into the crockpot in the morning and 4-5 hours later dinner was done and the house smelled amazing. Crockpot Hawaiian ChickenPREP TIME: 5 minutes COOK TIME: 4-5 hours SERVES: 4-5 peopleContinue reading →

I’ve been rushing to get out the door everyday this week and haven’t felt like my outfits were very ‘inspired’, but I came across this photo that Jillian took for my blog head-shot.

Did you know that this necklace only cost me $4.99? I picked it up at the Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch Thrift Store in Dilworth, MN. (Thank you Jaclyn for opening my eyes to this lovely place!! We swap thrifting stories often.)

Do you have any fabulous finds you want to share? Send a photo! Or, do you have any stories about outfits or pieces you’ve kicked yourself in the rear for not buying?? Those red skinny jeans at ValueSmart still haunt me to this day…but that story is for another blog post.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been searching Pinterest and YouTube recently for a craft that used coffee cups but also could be a Christmas gift. I had four barely used coffee cups. (We used them for the hot chocolate photo shoot for the latest in Magazine!).

Originally I had the idea to fill the cup up with different things needed for the hot chocolates. Not finding what I wanted at the store, I ultimately purchased a small bag of festive candy cane coffee along with assorted peppermint and chocolate candies. I made the cups look a little more cute with a piece of tissue paper and a “Merry Christmas!” tag.